Vented hopper chute for railway cars or the like



G. c. SMITH 2,659,897

VENTED HOPPER CHUTE FOR RAILWAY CARS OR THE LIKE Nov. 24, 1953 Filed June 25, 1948 11 H ';fi

INVENTOR. George, CSmLWL ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 24, 1953 PATENT OFFICE VENTED HOPPER CHUTE FOR RAILWAY CARS OR THE LIKE George C. Smith, Glenside, Pa., assignor to The Budd Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application June 23, 1948, Serial No. 34,636

4 Claims.

The invention relates to discharge means for hoppers used on moving vehicles and has for an object the provision of improvements in this art.

In the usual vehicle hopper installations, a discharge conduit of generally tubular form is extended downwardly below the floor of the vehicle a substantial distance, and in some forms its lower end is made of flexible material to avoid injury thereto through engagement with the parts of a truck. In the usual embodiments, the discharge conduit is connected directly to the discharge outlet of the hopper. With that arrangement, if the hopper was of the usual water-seal type, the air rushing past the lower end of the conduit, particularly if the car in which the hopper was installed was operated at high speed, tended to form a partial vacuum in the conduit and, in some cases, this was sufficient to break the water seal and thus provide a direct air connection from the outside to the inside of the car. This breaking of the water seal of the hopper is highly objectionable because it facilitates the transmission of outside noises, such as truck and track noises, to the inside of the car.

It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a positive means to prevent the breaking of the water seal in water-seal type hoppers, and to do this in a very simple and economical way.

The manner in which this object is attained will become fully apparent from the following detailed description when read in connection with the drawing forming a part'of this specification.

In the single figure of the drawing, the invention is shown, more or less diagrammatically, as applied to a railway car body.

The floor assembly comprises a deeply corrugated structural metal floor sup-port l0, upon which is supported any usual traffic bearing floor, as H. Sound-deadening characteristics are understood to be embodied in the floor assembly.

A hopper, designated generally by i2, is of a conventional type and is supported by a vertical wall l3 at a suitable height upon and above the car floor. The attachment to this wall may be by any suitable means, such as bolts It. The details of this attachment are not shown, as the particular manner of attachment forms no part of this invention. It will be understood that any other known form of attachment of the hopper to the car body might be employed.

The hopper comprises a usual form of bowl having a flushing rim l5, a well It, and a siphonpanel.

20 lation to the lower end of the tube 19.

2 type discharge passage. This discharge passage comprises an upwardly extending short leg I! communicating with the bottom of the well, Which connects through an elbow It with a longer 5 downwardly extending leg or discharge tube 19.

The latter is extended, as shown, through the flooring I! and the floor panel l0 and projects a short distance below the latter so as to discharge the contents of the hopper below the floor To provide for the guidance of the discharge products well below the car body and to prevent the fouling of the trucks thereunder, the lower end of the tube 19 is surrounded by a larger diameter conduit or tube which is preferably constructed in two parts, namely, an upper metallic tubular portion 29 and a lower flexible tubular portion 2i clamped to the upper by suitable clamp, as 22. The upper metallic tubular portion is secured in surrounding but spaced re- Ihis securement is achieved through an angle bracket 23 welded to the tubular portion and bolted through its horizontal arm to the floor panel It].

Means are provided to vent the upper end of the outer tube by connecting the inside of said outer tube to the outside atmosphere. Such venting means are provided most simply by a number of perforations 24 in the metallic tubular upper portion 20. These perforations are preferably arranged above the discharge end of the hopper discharge tube [9 so as to avoid clogging thereof by any solid particles in the discharge. Asshown, they are so formed by being made as simple holes and are so disposed by being placed closely below the floor where strong directional air currents do not exist that no appreciable downflow of air is ever produced in the outer tube such as would cause a seal-breaking suction in the inner tube.

The normal level of the water seal is indicated in the drawing by numeral 25, and the maximum level is indicated at 26 by dot-anddash lines. This maximum level is rarely attained because of the movements of the car, but

it is highly desirable that the normal level be maintained so that it does not drop below the wall 27 forming the one side of the upwardly extending leg ll of the discharge siphon.

Without the venting perforations 24, with the air rushing past the lower end of the discharge 3 cated by the line 28. However, with the vented outer tube, it becomes impossible, even at maximum relative speeds of air and car, to produce adequate vacuum in the discharge tube and siphon tube to cause a lowering of the water-seal level sufficient to break the seal.

As a result-of the invention, the source of noise incident to the breaking of the water seal is eliminated entirely under all conditions of operation, thus adding materially to the comfort of the persons using this device. Moreover, this advantage is attained in a very simple mannerand at very small expense.

While a specific embodiment'of the invention has been described herein in detail, .it :will be understood by those skilled in the art that changes and modifications maybemade-with out departing from the main features of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Hopper discharge means for a water sealed hopper of a vehicle which by its travel velocity tends to create suction by the passage of air across the lower end ofthe usual discharge tube to draw liquid from the seal, the improved -means for avoiding the seal-breaking suction comprising in combination, a water-seal hopper supported above the floor of the vehicle, a hopper discharge siphon tube extending from the hopper to provide a siphon passage extending upwardly and then downwardly to an open end below the floor, an outer discharge tube surrounding siphon tube and extending above and below its open lower end, and said outer tube having venting openings therein located above and near the lower end of the siphon tube and being so formed and disposed so closely adjacent the floor that directional currents produced by vehicle movement cannot cause a downward flow of air. therein of sufficient velocity to produce downward suction in said discharge siphon tube, theouter tube comprising a short rigid-metal portion secured beneath the vehicle floor around the siphon tube and having said openings therein around the circumference, and a longer flexible tube secured on the end of the short metal tube.

' 2. Hopper discharge means for a water-sealed hopper of a vehicle which by its travel velocity tends to. create suction by the passage of air across the lower end of the usual discharge tube to draw liquid from the seal, the improved means for avoiding the seal-breaking suction comprising in combination, a Water-seal. hopper supported above the floor of the vehicle, a hopper discharge siphon tube. extending from the hop per to provide a siphon passage extending upwardly and then downwardly to an open end below the floor, an outer discharge tube surrounding the siphon tube and extending above and below its open lower end, and said outer tube being provided with venting openings located above and near the lower. end-of the siphon tube and being so formed and disposed so; closely adjaoent the floor that directional currents produced by vehicle movement cannot cause a down ward flow of air therein of sufiicient velocity to produce downward suction in said discharge siphon tube.

3. Hopper discharge means as set forth in claim 2, further characterized by the fact that said outer tube, throughout its full length is of considerably greater .size than the inner or siphon tube.

- 4;Hopper discharge means for a water-seal hopper of a vehicle which by its travel. velocity tends to create suction by the passage. of air across the lower end of the usual discharge tube to draw'liquidfrom the seal, the improved means for avoiding the sealrbreaking suction, comprising in combination, a water-seal. hopper supported by the floor of. the vehicle, a hopper discharge siphon tube extending from the hopper to providea siphon passage extending upwardly end then downwardly to an open end below the floor, an outer discharge tube surrounding the siphon tube and extending above and below its lower end, outer tube being provided with openings to the outside located above and near the lower end ofthe siphon tube, said opening being so formedand located and being free of air directing elements as to provide vacuumbreaking means .for the lower end of the siphon tube.

GEORGE C. SMITH.

Germany Sept. 16, 1930 

